Red itchy bumps on hands, neck, legs after sleeping at night

This has been driving us nuts and I found a number of similar posts in
this forum – but no conclusive answers. Hope some of you can help us.

Symptoms:
1) We sleep in the night in our bedroom – the next day morning we get
reddish bumps in our legs or neck or hands.
2) It doesn’t happen when we sleep in another room, right next to this
one. Or in a room downstairs
3) We moved the same mattress to the other rooms – and slept there for
2 days – no bites. Relocated the mattress to the main bedroom, we got
the bites.

What may cause the bite:
1) We initially thought it was bed bugs – like everyone else in this
forum. Called the exterminators, one of them it was, but the other one
said it wasn’t. Both of them couldn’t spot any signs of bed bugs – no
bed bug molts or eggs or blood stains in the sheets. There was a black
stain on the mattress, and I read that bed bug excretion does cause
dark stains – but since no other evidence turned up, we don’t know what
to make out of it
2) We did a thorough examination of the carpet sidings and saw carpet
beetle larva – 5 or 6 of them. And their molts. Again, both the
exterminators said carpet beetles may not cause the bites.
3) We put cellophone tape on all the 4 sides of the bed -thinking that
if a bug crawls it will get stuck. But nothing got stuck and we got
bitten again.

What all have we tried so far:
1) Shifted sleeping areas. This seems to stop the bites.
2) Put cellophone tape on mattress. This is not effective
3) Did thorough visual examination with flash light and magnification
lens. This turned up carpet beetles, but nothing else.
4) We applied insect repellants before sleeping and wore long shirts
and pants. This seem to have some effect.

Frankly, we are running out of ideas…Has someone faced similar
problems ? Any ideas what may be causing the bites ?? We would really
appreciate any insights.

Thanx and regards
NpPublic

Susan 2009-04-06 03:30:57

x-no-archive: yes

I’d throw out the bed and have the home fumigated, carpeting and padding
removed. If that’s not in your budget, you might try spraying the
mattress with sprays made to fumigate bedding, then covering it and the
foundation wiht cheap, plastic, zippered encasements (covered with a
quilted mattress pad you wash weekly in hot water with sheets) and
exterminating the apt. I’d lose the carpeting for a whole host of reasons.

Susan

Navy1 2009-04-06 03:31:00

Have you considered the possibility of spider bites? This would
explain why they are just in that room. So, it may not be the
mattress after all. If you have an attic over your bedroom, I would
check up there also. Another possibility would be ants.
My mom got some bites at an outdoor wedding and they didn’t show up
for a couple of days.

On another topic, kind of, treatment – have you tried a paste of
Adolf’s (or another brand) meat tenderizer and water on the bites?

Good luck,
Loujean
God didn’t promise us
that life would be fair.
If it were, who would try
for the stars?

Susan 2009-04-06 03:31:06

x-no-archive: yes

One of the things I read about bedbugs that amazed me was that they
don’t live in mattresses, they come out of the woodwork, wallpaper, etc,
at night.

Susan

Sjf 2009-04-06 03:31:09

Sure sounds like bedbugs. Had some experience with them long-long ago. It
seems they are more likely to make their daytime residence in the woodwork
than in the bed. Also the relief you get sleeping in another room is very
telling as the bugs have a rather limited range. Good general description
at —

Fleas can cause somewhat similar problems, especially if you have a dog that
frequents your bedroom. But I’d guess it’s bedbugs and you just haven’t
found their roosting place.

SJF

Wazoo 2009-04-06 08:58:55

I agree with the “insect bite” theory – not necessarilly in the bed or
sheets. A very similar incident happened to me as I woke up one morning
with a very nasty sore (bite) on the tip of my finger. It became infected
within days and I had to take antibiotics. My doctor also feels it was a
bite because he could see a tiny incision scar. He asked me if Id been
gardening or out in the woods. I hadnt and I am certain it happened
overnight.

This is going to sound rude and maybe obscene but this is something my
doctor thought about. Again, I apologize if this seems crude but he
suggested the possibilty of some sort of “insect” or what have you in my
genital hair or other part of my body. A person scratches at it at night
and it responds. SORRY, No Offence ! Just relaying my doctors shocking
statement. Crabs ?

Then again, the bug(s) could be coming from anywhere.

Those ultrasonic sound devices are supposed to ward off spiders as well as
rodents and other pests.

Hope you dont hate me and my response. Good Luck.

Wyzwyz 2009-04-06 08:59:06

have you seen a doctor about it? in particular a dermatologist or an
allergist?

the wheals look similar to the ones when having a reaction to
fungus/moulds/pollen (but there are other types).